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One of Jesse Kelly’s sore spots

05/24/12 01:54 PMUpdated 09/06/13 07:02 AM

With Gabrille Giffords having stepped aside to focus on her recovery, the special election to replace her in Arizona’s 8th congressional district is just three weeks away. Democrats have nominated Ron Barber, a former Giffords aide, while a familiar name will be on the ballot for Republicans.

Remember Jesse Kelly? In 2010, the Tea Party Republican sponsored a campaign event in which supporters joined him in shooting a “fully automatic M-16.” The campaign’s announcement read at the time, “Get on target for November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office.” He also took a stand against food-safety regulations, suggesting it should be up to individuals to protect themselves from salmonella outbreaks.

Kelly, in the same race, also accepted the endorsement of an anti-immigrant group called ALIPAC, which has been accused of having ties to white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

Kelly lost a close race in 2010, but hopes to win the June 12 special election – but as the local ABC affiliate discovered, he and his campaign really doesn’t want to talk about ALIPAC.

For the record, when you accept the support of accused extremists and neo-Nazis, “This election’s about jobs” isn’t a great answer.